Horne cautious over video replays

28 Feb 2014 13:02:04

Football's lawmakers have been warned to tread cautiously before embracing video replays to help referees.

The sport's world governing body FIFA wants more discussion on video technology and a meeting of the International FA Board (IFAB) in Zurich on Saturday is expected to consider results of a pilot project in Holland.

The Football Association backed goal-line technology strongly but its general secretary Alex Horne is concerned about interrupting the flow of the game.

Horne told Press Association Sport: "I understand that there is a trial in Holland on video replays and I think that is what we will get an update on.

"It is a really difficult one because we have always said that technology for the goal-line, for that binary decision of a goal or no goal, is important. We have heard that 11 times this season it has been used and the referee has relied on it and it has been helpful.

"I'm happy with that but it's a difficult judgement call in terms of where you allow technology into the game and how it interacts with the flow of the game.

"My personal view is I would be very, very cautious about it in terms of interrupting the flow. Offside decisions or penalty decisions or goalmouth decisions, I'm not sure, but I am up for trials of these things because why shouldn't we learn?"

The FA will, however, push for a ban on players displaying personal slogans on undershirts.

The proposal is also on the agenda at IFAB, the game's lawmaking body which is made up of the four British associations and FIFA.

It will also discuss sin-bins - which are again being trialled in Dutch amateur football - and changes to the 'triple punishment' rule where a player concedes a penalty, is sent off and subsequently suspended. Manchester City and Arsenal were both victims of this in their Champions League last-16 first-leg matches in the last fortnight.

The T-shirt proposal could be controversial as such messages have become common - this season Didier Drogba revealed a tribute to Nelson Mandela, while in the past Everton's Steven Pienaar displayed one saying 'God is Great', and Mario Balotelli revealed his famous 'Why Always Me' message when he was at Manchester City.

Horne claimed the ban would clear up a grey area in the rules.

Horne added: "There are lots of grey lines around what's acceptable and what's not acceptable and therefore a blanket ban on anything on an undershirt is, we think, a clearer rule to police.

"At the moment the rules are vague and what this would do is enable the rule to be applied consistently.

"We think it is worth tidying up and then it is up to competition organisers how they want to apply it."